General Game Stats Chart

Commentary

Nothing of note happening in the added period, and the referee decides that enough is enough!

90' +1

L. Somoza enters the game and replaces Á. di María.

Into the first minute of added time as Di Maria goes bundling down in the box, but no dice from the referee.

89'

The fans are still keeping this stadium rocking as we approach the end here. What a wonderful team performance this has been from Argentina.

87'

M. Rodríguez enters the game and replaces E. Lavezzi.

Aguero with an ambitious long range set piece that is always rising, and flies into orbit.

85'

With this victory, Argentina will wrap up top spot in the CONMEBOL qualifying zone. And all this without Messi and Higuain tonight.

84'

Y. Reyna enters the game and replaces L. Ramírez.

83'

Argentina have well and truly taken the sting out of the game. It seems like Sabella has finally turned off the turbo switch that has orchestrated so many wonderful attacks tonight.

81'

And that change indeed does happen. Inter's Palacio off and the prodigious Lamela on.

80'

E. Lamela enters the game and replaces R. Palacio.

79'

Lamela looks primed to come on, and word is that Palacio will depart.

Minute

Description

77'

CLOSE! Lavezzi launches a free kick in, it deflects off a Peru head and goes, thankfully for Penny, the wrong side of the crossbar!

76'

K. Aparicio gets yellow.

75'

The game slowing down a tad in the last few minutes. Time just starting to slip away from Peru.

73'

Decent spell this from Peru in the last few minutes.

But back come Argentina, Lavezzi playing in Palacio, who cannot convert on the turn!

71'

Ramirez again! using Pizarro as a decoy, he squeezes a shot through that Romero is equal to! Should have hammered that one!

69'

Ó. Vílchez enters the game and replaces A. Carrillo.

RAMIREZ! Peru break with impunity, and the ball breaks kindly, but the shot is planted just over the bar!

67'

Aguero goes tumbling inside the box, under a challenge from Gambetta! Surely a penalty...but the ref waves play on!

65'

Lavezzi turning on the afterburners once again, beating his man on the flanks once again and drilling in a fine ball that is begging to be tapped in!

63'

Nothing from Peru in this second half so far, apart from that one Benavente chance. They've all but given up here.

61'

ALMOST ANOTHER! Banega slingshots in a lovely pass into Palacio, who cannot get the ball under control. Aguero is onto the loose ball, and angles a shot towards the far corner, but just pulls it wide!

59'

BENAVENTE! The half time substitute with a spectacular driving run that takes him past multiple defenders, and comes just short of applying the finish for one of the goals of the year!

57'

DI MARIA! The mercurial winger weaves right in down the right, and goes for an audacious close-range lob, which kisses off the top of the crossbar!

56'

Peru fortunate it's not 4-1 after Lavezzi slides a ball towards Palacio at the far post, who pokes it into the side netting!

55'

Yellow for Aguero for handball. A questionable booking.

54'

S. Agüero gets yellow.

53'

Potentially dangerous free kick whipped in by Vargas is headed away by Biglia instead. Peru work it back in but the cross is wasted, no problem for Romero.

51'

Another scintillating counter attack from Argentina, which ends when Aguero is bundled over by Aparicio. The referee lets that one slide.

49'

Hard to see a way back for Peru, despite their promising signs in the first half. Argentina have just been too good.

47'

R. Palacio has scored a goal for Argentina!

JUST LIKE THAT IT'S 3-1!

Aguero slips the ball out wide to Rojo excellently, and his low cross is met perfectly by Palacio inside the six yard box! Argentina rampant!

46'

C. Benavente enters the game and replaces A. Gómez.

Here we go again!

45' +1

And a few seconds into stoppage time is all the referee need to blow for half time!

44'

Vargas, as e is prone to do, lets fly from all of 40 yards, and its a good striker too! Too hot to handle for Romero, who punches clear with some distance.

42'

RAMIREZ! He sneaks the ball across the face of goal after a lovely breakthrough move on the right, but Fernandez makes an excellent interception to stop Pizarro from a surefire tap in!

40'

Di Maria in full stride on the counter, and he spots Lavezzi peeling through on the far side. The ball to pick him out seems spot on, but Aguero inadvertently halts the ball with his backside!

38'

Aguero is millimeters offside, running onto a through ball. The narrowest of calls, but just about right, as the striker had rounded Penny and slotted home.

37'

I have to say that the football has been sublime so far, particularly from Argentina. The one-touch passing has been a joy to watch.

35'

E. Lavezzi has scored a goal for Argentina!

LAVEZZI AGAIN!

Beautifully engineered goal from Argentina! Palacio and Di Maria play a lovely one two, and the Inter forward squares it to Lavezzi for the tap in! Peru carved apart!

34'

Hurtado takes aim from the top of the box with a first time shot, and slides it just over!

33'

A foul throw has been called! Wow, a bit of a collectors item there, as the referee claims that Ballon's feet were over the touchline!

30'

Biglia plays into Aguero, who with his back to goal, tees up the Lazio man on the return, and he stings the palms of Penny!

28'

Lovely tempo to this one, both sides clearly going for it.

26'

Durate heads it clear and Ramirez leads the break excellently! He wriggles past three players, but cannot slip in Pizarro on the overlap!

25'

Dangerous free kick for Argentina on the corner of the box. Di Maria stands over it, ready to whip the ball in...

23'

E. Lavezzi has scored a goal for Argentina!

LAVEZZI DRAWS ARGENTINA LEVEL IMMEDIATELY!

Di Maria's corner is met by Fernandez, Penny fumbles, and Lavezzi is on hand to stab in the rebound! Controversy, as Peru feel that should not have been a corner in the first place.

21'

C. Pizarro has scored a goal for Peru!

PERU SCORE!!!!

EXQUISITE FROM PIZARRO! The ball over the top is a peach, and Pizarro is on it in a flash. Romero rushes rashly off his line, and he is lobbed straightaway. The ball nestles into the back of the net. Brilliant!

19'

Vargas with a potentially tricky free kick on the right hand side, he bends it in with that left peg, but Romero is positioned perfectly.

17'

Aguero played in by club teammate Zabaleta, but excellent pressure from Durate shepherds him away from goal, and forces him to rush his final ball near the byeline.

15'

BRILLIANT FROM AGUERO! The Man City star does exceptionally well to twist and turn on the left, and stand a cross up to the far post! Palacio dives in to meet, but Penny is there at his far post to make an equally excellent save!

13'

Zabaleta plays to Banega at the top of the box and slips back into space on the right. He is begging, begging for the return pass, but Banega does not get his head up in time.

11'

Biglia with a decent opening to get a shot in, but cannot squeeze it through. Still, Argentina on top, though Peru are dangerous on the counter.

9'

Argentina clearly looking to use the underrated passing ability of Di Maria to pick out the likes of Aguero and Lavezzi on the run. Plenty of movement around this Argentina squad.

7'

Peru showing some real poise down the flanks, and Carrillo nearly puts a chance for Pizarro on a plate, but Banega squeezes it away from danger at point blank range!

5'

A nice, expansive game developing here, perhaps as a result of both sides having nothing left to play for, although only Argentina are really smiling at that scenario.

3'

A comfortable start for Argentina here at home. Di Maria in particular, captaining the side tonight, has looked strong on the ball.

1'

The ref gets us started!

Wecome to the World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Peru. I'm Keeghann Sinanan, your designated scribe for the evening.

Alejandro Sabella is without dynamic duo Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, but it matters little as his side have already wrapped up qualification for World Cup. The Argentina coach opts for Aguero and Palacio up front, with Di Maria and Lavezzi providing the thrust from out wide.

Peru are left to play for nothing but pride at this point, having already dropped out of contention for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

A disappointing end for Peru, after a qualification campaign that promised much, following a third placed spot at the 2011 Copa America. But they were unable to ride that momentum, picking up just four wins in qualifying, and the final nail in their coffin came courtesy of defeats to Uruguay and Venezuela in September.

An excellent, full flowing game of football. Argentina on top thanks to a Lavezzi brace, and some of their football at times has been right out of the top drawer. Peru were not without their own threat though, and are still in this for the second half! Join me in a bit.

A wonderful win for Argentina, who put paid to a dangerous Peru side and eventually outclassed them all the way to the final whistle. A Lavezzi double and a further Palacio strike bettered Pizarro's lone effort for the visitors. Roll on Brazil for the Albiceleste!